Perth Church With ‘Landmark Tower’ to Be Sold; House-Hunters Ask Whether the Crown on Top Counts as a Loft Conversion

By our Property Correspondent

St Leonard’s in the Fields, the Category A-listed church on Marshall Place with a tower topped by a stone crown, is to close on 15 November and will eventually be sold.

Its congregation voted in September to unite with Perth North Church on Mill Street, where the new congregation will meet from 17 November. A service of thanksgiving will be held at St Leonard’s on 15 November, and anyone with a connection to the church is invited.

Members say the move is friendly and the decision was taken with “a lot of good will”. The Church of Scotland noted that nearly a third of the church buildings it sold last year went to community groups.

Perth, meanwhile, has started quietly wondering what an estate agent would make of it. “Characterful property with south-facing views over the South Inch, generous ceiling heights and a crown,” said a Craigie man who reads property listings for fun. “Some redecoration required. Parking: the whole of Marshall Place, if you’re lucky.”

A woman from Friarton said she would be happy simply to see the tower stay as it is. “I’ve used it to find my way home since I was six,” she said. “You come over the bridge, you see the crown, you know you’re home. Whoever buys it, they’re not allowed to move it.”

Planning experts confirm that the tower cannot be moved. The woman from Friarton said she would believe that when she saw it.

The real story: St Leonard's in the Fields to close (The Courier)